How about a culinary passport to the cuisines of the Middle East, Asia, Europe, or Africa?

The Culinary Institute at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, beginning January 21, will offer the community a series of international cooking classes to explore the fare of eight countries. The classes will run through March 10.

Chefs skilled in the countries’ particular cuisines will teach participants how to use ingredients and cooking techniques from those nations. Participants also will learn about the countries’ culture, customs, and native foods. They will then prepare a meal and experience it in the traditional manner of those countries.

The Saturday classes are $99 each and will be taught at the institute, 2712 Neyland Dr., from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The institute is inside the UT Visitors Center.

Participants may sign up for individual classes.

Cuisines to be explored are:

January 21: Persian/Iranian, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
January 28: French, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
February 4: Korean, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
February 11: Italian, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
February 18: Irish, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
February 25: Liberian, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
March 3: Japanese (Sushi), 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
March 10: German, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For more information or to sign up, call 865-974-0150 or visit http://culinary.utk.edu/international.html.